The switch
by frozeworld3213
Summary: (Takes place during the movie.) Desperate to get back her relationship with her sister, Anna does something she will later regret.(Kristanna) (Helsa) (Elsanna)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Anna rolled over in her bed, the sunrise lighting her room. A knock came at the door and she stirred, moaning softly. Another knock and she lifted her head.

"Mm…what?" she mumbled, sitting up.

"Queen Elsa, you asked to be woken at sunrise," Kai's voice called through the door.

_Queen Elsa?_ She wondered, rubbing her eyes. _I must be dreaming_…, she thought, moving her hands to flatten her hair. Her eyes went wide when she found her hair to be tightly braided.

"Your majesty?"

"Oh, yes…thank you, Kai," she answered, glancing around the room. She almost commented on the empty dress stand, but decided not to.

"Well, let us know when you're ready to have the gates opened," he noted before she heard him leave. Anna swung her legs off the bed and looked herself over. Pale…her sister's skin. She touched her hair, pulling the braid over her shoulder. White blonde, her sister's hair.

"What on earth is going on…?" she muttered, pinching herself. Nothing happened. She stood and started pacing. "Okay, figure out what's going on, Anna…you can do this…"

She didn't remember going to bed the night before, heck, after she drank that cup of cocoa the night before, she didn't remember anything.

_Okay…what did I do before the cocoa?_ She wondered, folding her arms. _I went to the market to get Elsa a last minute gift for her coronation…and then the…_

"Gypsies!" She hissed. "They must have had something to do with this!" She remembered they'd given her a warning before she bought that potion from them, but she couldn't remember what they'd said…but she knew she wrote it down for reference.

And the note was in her bedside table drawer with the empty bottle. She noticed something out of the corner of her eye and she investigated. She'd never been in her sister's room before.

"A book…?" she whispered, picking the thick tome up. She opened it up and blinked. All of her old drawings were in there. A tear came to her eye and she put the book down on the bed. There was frost on the cover where she'd been holding it. "What the…what is that?" She touched the frost and it spread. She pulled her hand back in surprise.

A knock came at the door and she jolted, turning to grab Elsa's dressing gown from a nearby chair. She put her hand out to grab the garment as a second knock came at the door.

"Elsa, dear? Are you still asleep?" Gerda's voice carried through the door.

"No, I'm awake," she answered. "Come in, Gerda." She grabbed the garment and it began to form frost from her fingers. Her eyes went wide, but she slipped it on and tied the sash. Gerda came in with a dress in hand. She noticed a pair of gloves on the bedside table and she pulled them on.

"Your dress," Gerda noted, shutting the door. Anna nodded a little, she didn't want to get dressed and pretend to be her sister, but she had to. Until she could get away from Gerda and find her sister.

"Thanks…," she gave a small smile and removed the dressing gown. Gerda fetched Elsa's stays and helped her into them.

_Meanwhile…_

Elsa yawned as she woke with the sunrise. She sat up and stretched a little. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, wondering why Kai hadn't come knocking yet. Something was off. She blinked, seeing a brightly coloured dress on a stand.

She looked around, seeing that everything in the room was bright and colourful. She glanced at the drapery over the bed and gasped sharply. She was in her sister's room. But Anna wasn't there.

"This is a dream…a terrible fantasy…," she bit, climbing out of the bed.

She crossed to the dressing screen and went behind it, looking for her sister. Anna was nowhere to be seen in the room. She spotted a flash of red in the corner of her eye and she turned her head. The red moved with her and she realized with a jolt of horror that it was on her head.

She touched her hair, tangled, and terrible. She knew she'd braided her hair the night before, she never went to bed with her hair down. She went to Anna's vanity and stared blankly at the reflection of her sister in the mirror.

"This is impossible…," she whispered, touching the strand of white. She tried to think back, wondering if she'd done something to cause this. She didn't remember anything after writing her diary entry the night before.

Elsa shook her head a little. Anna might have the answers, if she could find her. She sighed and brushed the tangled mass that was her sister's hair. While she fixed her hair, she glanced at the dress her sister was going to wear.

There was a special set of undergarments tossed over the dressing screen. It looked simple enough to get into. She finished with her hair and stripped out of her night clothes. Not seeing a problem with it, she tossed the garment over the vanity seat.

With a tired sigh, she got dressed. Once she finished that, she left the bedroom and hurried to her own room, knocking on the door, using the all too familiar pattern that had kept her sane the past three years. The door swung open, something that had never come of that rhythm.

"Elsa…?" her body asked and she recognized her own worry in the voice.

"Anna?" she asked hopefully. Her answer was a brisk nod and a show of hands.

"What is going on with this?" she asked frantically and Elsa sighed. So her powers were still intact.

"Do you know what's going on?" Elsa asked instead of answering, pushing her sister into the room and shutting the door.

"I think so…but what the heck is going on? Everything I touch freezes over!"

"Anna, calm down. Panicking makes things worse," she sighed.

"Is this why you shut me out?" the venom in her tone struck Elsa painfully.

"Yes…it is…," she answered softly. She wanted to tell her the full truth, but she didn't want to harm her sister's memory of their parents. Better to turn the girl against her than their deceased parents. "Anyways, Anna, what's going on? Do you realize what day this is? We can't go to my coronation like this."

"Okay…I got this potion from some gypsies yesterday and they said it would help us be close again and I put some in your drink at dinner while no one was looking and then I woke up in your bed like this!" Anna rambled off, indicating herself as she finished.

"And you didn't find out exactly what it would do to us?" she asked incredulously.

"I didn't get the chance!" she defended herself, folding her arms.

"Okay, how do we fix this?" she asked, hoping to anything she might have ever prayed to growing up that 'true love's kiss' wasn't the answer.

"I don't know…," Anna admitted, lowering her gaze.

"Okay then…in the meantime, we can't reschedule the coronation. You'll have to take the vows in my stead. I already signed the written documentation yesterday, so this is just a formality. And you absolutely _have_ to be able to keep it together while he recites."

"Right…but how do I do that? I can't wear these gloves during that part of the ceremony…"

"Just try…we can practice in my study," Elsa sighed in response. "Just…try not to be so emotional. My powers are triggered by emotion, and there's no telling what could happen if people found out about them…"

"All right then…," Anna looked at her palms and Elsa winced a little. This was likely one of the worst things that could happen. "And after that?"

"For now…let's just get through the coronation…we can talk between greeting dignitaries at the ball."

"O-Okay…Elsa…I—"

"It can wait, Anna. We don't have much time for you to practice. Just remember….cool and collected…calm, poised…"

"Right, I know. I can't be my usual self with these powers," Anna answered with a nod. The two girls headed to the study and Elsa locked the door behind herself when they arrived. "So I just pick them up and don't freeze them over, right?"

"Yes," came the soft answer. Elsa hadn't spent this much time with her sister since they were kids, at least…this much time actively speaking to her. Her heart was racing in her chest and she was hit with the usual onslaught of emotion as she watched her sister remove the ornate leather gloves and pick up the baubles on the table below the painting of their father.

A soft smile came to her face as not even a layer of ice formed on the objects. Even trapped in the wrong body, Anna could manage poise and grace. Not that she wasn't surprisingly graceful even when tripping over her own feet. Every movement hung in Elsa's mind, the deep feeling akin to Gerda's description of romantic love spread through her. But she was sure her sister had no such feelings for her.

It was yet another thing she had to conceal and not feel. Sibling marriages were unheard of in Arendelle, for the simple fact that they very rarely had boys. They were also considered a Catholic kingdom after the inquest during her grandmother's reign. So a love between siblings was considered taboo.

She wouldn't have been able to marry her sister anyways, as the only law regulating her possibility of being a bride was that she had to marry someone that could give her an heir.

"Elsa? Are you okay?" Anna asked suddenly, jolting Elsa from her morose thoughts.

"I'm fine…you're doing great," she answered, hiding with seasoned expertise the pain brought on by her mounting emotions and the inevitable failure of the idea. Anna put the baubles down and put the gloves back on.

"Elsa…why did you hide this from me? Was it Mama? Or Papa?" Anna fired off the questions in rapid succession, not giving her a chance to stop them.

"You wouldn't understand," she said, unintentionally harsh. She froze, cursing herself. "Anna…it's complicated," she tried to sound soft, but the damage was done.

"Go," she hissed.

"But—"

"Just _go_!" Anna practically shouted at her, a light snow beginning to form.

"Anna, please…just calm down. It's starting to snow," Elsa cautiously approached, knowing at least a little better than her sister how to deal with this.

"Just leave me alone!" the words cut and Elsa sighed, leaving quietly.

_Later…_

Anna paced the study, trying to calm down. The snow had at least stopped, but she wasn't going to pretend to be her sister when she was this upset. No matter what she had thought would happen when they finally spoke again…this wasn't what she'd expected or even wanted.

A bell tolled the hour and she stopped pacing. She was honestly crushed. Her sister's harshness had cut deep. All they had was each other, especially with this situation, and Elsa was pushing her away all over again. Anna took a deep breath and opened the doors to the study.

"Tell the guards to open the gates." She told the nearest servant in her most calm and regal tone. After the coronation ended, she needed to find a way to get back into her own body.

She folded her hands over her skirt and walked slowly to the foyer, standing at the base of the stairs to greet people as they filed towards the chapel. Her heart was racing, but she tried to keep her nerves from showing. And it wasn't even entirely nerves. It was the idea of having to stand up there beside her sister and pretend to be her.

All those years of knocking on the door with no answer, barely catching glimpses of her faraway sister, sitting across the table from her at dinner in forced silence…everything had led to something inexplicable festering in her chest. The foyer emptied with her absently nodding politely. The bells tolled the half-hour and she was knocked from her thoughts. She loved her sister, but what she was feeling…was it heartbreak? She shook her head and waited for her sister to come back.

_Meanwhile…_

Elsa left the castle the moment the gates opened. It was her first time outside since she was a kid, so she decided to walk around a bit. She lost track of time as she roamed, eventually making her way to the empty docks to think.

She'd messed up again. She almost had her powers under control, she was planning on opening the gates permanently if she made it through the coronation without using her powers…but with this body switch, she had no idea what Anna was going to do. She knew they couldn't keep the gates open with them switched like this.

The worst of it was she recognized what the pain in her chest was caused by. She loved her sister. Not as a sister should love her sibling, but as a suitor would love her intended. She stopped at the edge of a dock beside a small dinghy that was tied up, staring out at the horizon.

What could she do to fix this? Without acting like a suitor to her sister?

_Just be a sister to her. That's what you've both wanted. Ignore your feelings and be there for her,_she told herself silently, the reminder that she would continue living her life concealing her emotions…trying not to feel anything, the thought hurt. But it was the only way she knew.

Something big bumped into her from behind and she tumbled forward, shouting in surprise. She landed painfully in the dinghy, feeling the wood of the seat scrape her hands and her legs saved from the same by her skirts and underwear. She turned over and stood.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" she snapped at the culprit, a man sitting high on a horse.

"I'm so sorry! Are you hurt?" he dismounted and stepped to the edge, crouching and extending a hand. Their eyes met and Elsa blinked in surprise, something strange flooding through her. It wasn't her body reacting, it was just her. She looked at her hands, seeing that they were a little bloody. She'd have to wash up before going to the ceremony.

"I scraped my hands," she said flatly, prompting him to remove his gloves before offering help again. She took his hands and he helped her back onto the wharf. When she was safely on the slats of wood, he bowed a little.

"I'm prince Hans of the Southern Isles," he said lightly. The Southern Isles?

"Princess E—Anna, of Arendelle," she replied, giving a small curtsy. He was too old to be Melody's brother, so he must have been one of Prince Eric's younger uncles. His eyes went wide.

"Princess?" he asked blankly before deepening his bow. "Your majesty!" She couldn't help but smile a little as she straightened up. "I'd like to apologize for hitting the princess of Arendelle with my horse…and everything else that's transpired…"

"It's fine," she noted quickly, waving a hand a little. "If you'd hit my sister Elsa, that would be different…but it's just me." She smiled a little, already feeling a bit at ease about pretending to be her sister. She'd spent so many years watching her from afar that she knew how Anna would act in this sort of situation.

"Just you…?" his words were slow as he looked her over with something strange in his expression. Probably similar to Elsa's current state of emotion. There was a spark when their eyes met, and his voice made her heart flutter almost as much as Anna's, but there had been nothing when they made skin contact.

She sighed softly, smiling a bit. She was looking into his grass green eyes, lost in them. He was just staring back at her. A bell tolled the half-hour, jolting her from her thoughts.

"The bells…the coronation! I have—" she gasped, turning. She paused to properly dismiss herself. "I have to go. Bye!" was all she managed before running to the castle. She hurried past her sister, who was waiting on the stairs for her, and to the nearest powder room to wash the blood from her hands and get rid of the dirt on her skirts.

She finished quickly and went to the ceremony with her sister. While she was standing in her position to the side, she glanced out at the people in the chapel. One of the first faces she spotted was Hans. She waved a little before turning her attention back to her sister.

The coronation finished smoothly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Anna stood in front of the minister, hands almost shaking with sudden nerves. She glanced at her sister to see her waving at someone in the audience. Jealous rage flared in her for a moment, but only a moment. She heard her cue and removed her gloves, trying to stop the shaking in her hands.

_Think about Elsa…you finally have a chance to get close to her again,_ she chanted in her mind, picking up the two baubles and turning. She glanced at them, a bit of frost forming from the contact. _Elsa…,_ she chanted her sister's name as she listened to the priest speak. The frost receded and everything continued as it should have. When he went silent, she continued to hold the baubles as the crowd stood and addressed her as queen.

She replaced the objects and put her gloves back on before marching down the aisle and to the ballroom.

_Later…_

Elsa waited for Kai to introduce them, their cue to enter the ballroom. She looked out across the ballroom, surprised at all the people. She knew that there were a lot of people here for the coronation but spread out through the ballroom, they looked so much more…numerous.

"Queen Elsa, of Arendelle," Kai announced as Anna crossed the ballroom to stand in front of the thrones. "Princess Anna, of Arendelle," he continued, motioning towards where she was already supposed to be.

With a sharp gasp, Elsa walked quickly to the spot beside her sister. She waved a little when she stopped, spotting their seamstress. The crowd applauded and then turned back to the party.

"Anna…," she whispered, turning to her sister.

"What?" she bit in reply. Elsa sighed heavily.

"Look…about earlier…I didn't mean to be mean…I was just scared…," she explained softly.

"I know. But you could have tried harder not to sound that way."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I want to make things right between us, Anna…"

"Then why didn't you ever answer the door?"

"Because I didn't want to hurt you again," her answer was barely audible.

"What…?"

"I was afraid that without my powers under control, I'd hurt you again…," she answered, a bit louder.

"You don't think that never answering the door, and shutting me out didn't hurt?"

"That's not what I mean…I know I hurt you by shutting you out, but it was the only way Mama and Papa could think of to protect us both. Our cousin had powers too and she was kidnapped because of them. And I almost killed you, Anna."

"What are you talking about? I don't remember knowing that you had powers."

"Because your memories of my powers were taken away," she explained. An idea struck her. "The trolls…they can help us straighten this out! I think I remember how to get to them."

"Wait, so…I really _was_ kissed by a troll?"

"Yes, we were playing in here and I accidently struck you in the head with my powers. Mama and Papa panicked and we took you to the trolls. The leader of them took away your memories of magic and replaced them with 'normal' memories."

Anna went silent, thinking that over. Elsa watched her sister warily, hoping that if Anna knew the truth they could move past all this and focus on the future. Sure, she herself was terrified of losing her sister because of her powers, but they couldn't lose each other when they were stuck in each other's bodies, could they? She hoped not.

"Your majesty," Kai said, jolting them both from their trains of thought. "The Duke, of Weasel-town."

"It's _Weselton_!" the duke snapped. "Duke of Weselton, your majesty." The small man made an elaborate bow. "As your closest partner in trade, I think it's only best I offer you your first dance as queen." He showed off a few 'moves' and then bowed, his hair piece coming off partially.

The sight caused both sisters to go into a small giggling fit. Elsa hoped that Anna could gracefully turn this down.

"Thank you, but I don't dance," she said between giggles. "But my sister does."

"No, I don't—"

"Excellent!" the duke exclaimed, taking Elsa's arm and dragging her to the dance floor. She barely saw her sister mouth an apology before she was lost in the crowd. Elsa swallowed a little and put her hands on her hips, simply swaying her hips with the music a bit as the duke danced around her.

His outrageous moves were attracting stares and she was starting to blush a little.

"Like an agile Peacock!" he practically shouted, jumping around her and making animal noises. She came close to putting her hands on her face in exasperation. "Speaking of…," he started.

_Speaking of what? You were just being a lunatic and dancing like a crazy person,_ she thought to herself.

"So great to have the gates open," he continued. "Why did they shut them in the first place? Do _you_know the reason? Hm?"

"No," she answered quickly as he got on his tiptoes and leaned closer to her.

"No…all right, hang on!" he took Elsa's hand and she froze for a second, worried what he was going to do next. He abruptly bent her backwards from the waist, sending the world spinning. Everything settled in an upside down position. "They don't call me the little dipper for nothing!"

She caught sight of her sister through a gap in the crowd and made a face when she saw her laughing. Suddenly, she was upright and spinning.

"Like a chicken with the face of a monkey, I fly!" the duke jabbered, continuing to jump in circles around her, his hair piece flopping. Finally, the dance ended and Elsa got away from him, resuming her position at her sister's side. "Let me know when you're ready for another round, milady!" the duke called after her.

"Well, he was spritely," Anna noted with a laugh.

"Especially for a man in heels…," she agreed, lifting one of her feet awkwardly to make sure he hadn't done any damage when he stepped on her toes.

"So…what's the plan?"

"After the ball ends we go to the trolls and see if we can't fix this…"

"All right. And…the gates?"

"I'd like to keep them open but…," Elsa sighed a little.

"But what?"

"You may be able to handle my powers all right, but I barely have them under control…I don't know if I can take the risk…,"

"But Elsa, it's not that hard to do it…really. All I've had to think about really is—" Anna broke off, dropping her gaze.

"Anna…you're not the one that's had to live with the fact that you almost killed your sister with those powers…"

"But that doesn't mean we have to keep the gates closed. I can't live like that anymore, Elsa…"

"I'm sorry, Anna…but it's just how it has to be."

"No, I can't believe that. There has to be a way," Anna reached for her and Elsa pulled away.

"Excuse me," she whispered and started to leave.

"Anna, wait," Anna said, trying to stop her.

"I'll be back," she snapped, weaving through the crowd. Someone bumped into her and she stepped on her skirts, tripping and almost falling. Someone caught her by the hand and she blinked.

"Glad I caught you," Prince Hans said lightly, putting his flute of champagne on a passing tray.

"Prince Hans…," she answered with a smile as he helped her to her feet. "We really need to stop running into each other like this…"

"I at least wasn't the one that knocked you over this time," he said with a light laugh, extending his other hand. She took it and put a hand at his waist. They started waltzing around the room. "How are your hands?"

"They're fine. They stopped bleeding almost immediately," she answered. When the music switched to a different dance, they went aside and started talking.

She tried to only recount what her sister would have known, but the temptation to tell him the entire truth of the situation was surprisingly strong.

They left the ballroom and went out to the gardens. He finally told her that he had twelve older brothers, confirming her suspicions that he was Melody's great uncle.

"I had a feeling," she blurted after he told her that.

"What do you mean?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Oh…Princess Melody and I are sort of pen-pals…I met her when we were little. Before the gates were closed," she explained.

"Ah…so…are you and your sister close?" he asked as they got some Krumb Cake from the food tables and headed for a balcony.

"We were…but not anymore," she replied before sitting on the rail.

"So…I've never had this, do you just shove the whole thing in your mouth?" he questioned, sitting beside her.

"Yes, the whole thing," she laughed, popping her own piece of cake into her mouth. He did the same and she laughed again. "So, are you close with any of your brothers?"

"Not really, three of them pretended I was invisible for three years," he answered after swallowing his cake.

"Wow…Elsa and I were really close when we were little…but then one day she just shut me out and I never knew why…," she sighed, understanding her sister's side of their upbringing all too well.

"I would never shut you out…," he said, reaching for her hand. He'd long since removed his gloves and tucked them into his jacket pockets.

She smiled a little, putting her hand in his. He traced the healing scratches on her palm with his finger. A blush coloured her cheeks.

_Meanwhile…_

Anna was a little worried, but she didn't let it bother her as she greeted different dignitaries and politely refused dance offers. She'd left her post by the thrones and was roaming the crowd.

"Queen Elsa," an unfamiliar voice said lightly behind her. She turned to see a young woman and her male companion. "I've been trying to get a chance to talk to you all day!"

"All right…? And you are?" she asked softly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, we haven't met at all yet! I'm Rapunzel, your cousin?"

"Oh right! My mother said that you were blonde, so…"

"It's fine, my hair changed colours when I lost my powers before Eugene and I got married," the princess explained.

"I see, well how are things going? I know we haven't really been much in contact since your marriage…," Anna trailed off, hoping that she got that right.

"It's understandable, though," Rapunzel sympathized. "I know it's hard, dealing with what happened…"

"Yeah…," she sighed, searching for a way to change the subject. "So…are you enjoying the party?"

"Sort of. It's our first formal thing since we got married," her cousin answered. "And Eugene's being a spoil sport."

"Am not!" The man whined. Anna laughed a little.

"Where's your sister?"

"She's around…I think she went for some fresh air," she answered.

_Later…_

Elsa laughed a little as she and Hans went back to the ballroom. She wanted to introduce Anna to him. He'd mentioned seriously courting her and eventually marriage, but she hadn't given him a straight answer, not knowing whether or not they'd be able to fix the whole body switch issue.

They weaved their way through the crowd and Elsa spotted her sister. She almost slipped up, but when they got close enough, she tried to catch Anna's attention.

"Elsa!" She waved. "I mean…_Queen_ Elsa…," she corrected herself and gave a small curtsy when her sister turned, bringing a smile to her sister's face. Anna politely excused herself from her conversation and turned her full attention to Elsa and Hans.

Anna's face twisted a little in confusion, seeing Elsa touch Hans' arm. He'd put his gloves back on when they were on their way inside.

"Your majesty…," he said lightly, bowing.

"May I present, Prince Hans, of the Southern Isles," Elsa said regally, grinning.

"Nice to meet you," Anna replied, nodding a little in acknowledgement.

"I suppose this would be the best time to ask your blessing," Hans started. "To court your sister, that is."

"What?"

"I know it's sudden, but…," she trailed off.

"Anna….," her sister started. "Can we talk? Alone?"

"Sure," she answered, stepping away from Hans. He reached after her, but she shook her head a little, going with her sister to the side room.

"Elsa, what are you doing?" Anna asked harshly when they were alone.

"I didn't give him a straight answer…," she replied quickly. "I'm not going to make any big decisions like that before we know if we can fix this…"

"I can't keep this up much longer…," Anna whispered.

"Then we should end the ball and go to the trolls and see if we can fix this."

"And what if we can't? What if I made a horrible mistake with that potion…?"

"Then we'll make do…"

"And go back to shutting everyone out?"

"I don't know, Anna…I really don't know…"

"And what will you tell Hans if we fix this?"

"I'm not sure…I'll figure it out when it comes to that…," she sighed.

Anna sighed as well, folding her arms. Elsa reached for her on instinct, but she pulled away.

"Anna…"

"I just wanted us to be close again…like we were when we were kids…we were best friends…but you shut me out. Mama and Papa locked us away like lepers, all because you had these secret powers…!" Anna raged and snow started falling in the room.

"Anna…calm down…"

"No! I won't! _You_ may have been okay with getting shut away but they locked me up too! I can't live like this anymore!"

Elsa remained silent. She knew she needed to calm her sister down, but the right words wouldn't come. After all the years apart, there was nothing she could do for her sister except hurt her even more. She reached again for her sister's hand.

Anna jerked away from her and her glove slipped off in Elsa's hand. Quickly, she tried to return the glove, but her sister continued moving away from her.

"Anna, you have to calm down…please…," she pleaded, trying to close the distance.

"No, Elsa, I _won't_ calm down! You keep telling me to calm down, but you know exactly why I'm upset and you're not doing anything!"

"Well, what did you expect?! I wasn't allowed to speak to you except in formal situations for _ten years_!" Elsa snapped in return. "I was taught how to calm political debates, not my own sister…"

Anna shook her head a little and hurried back to the ballroom.

_Meanwhile…_

Anna folded her arms, trying not to cry. She passed Kai on her way out of the ballroom.

"The party's over, close the gates."

"Yes, your majesty," he answered, bowing and moving to tell the guards.

"Elsa, wait a second…," Elsa followed her, grabbing her arm gently. "Please, just hear me out…"

"Enough, Anna," she muttered, pulling away from her and trying to leave.

"No! Elsa, please just calm down and let's talk!"

"I said _enough_!" Anna whirled, swinging her bare hand out of habit. A stream of ice flew from her hand and formed an arch of spikes, barely avoiding the nearby guests. A collective gasp sounded through the ballroom, and Anna backed up against the door, fumbling for the handle.

"Sorcery…!" someone hissed. She saw her sister drop to her knees as she got the door open and ran out of the ballroom. She ran to the courtyard, planning to find her way to the trolls on her own to fix this.

The courtyard was crowded with people, all of them cheering for Elsa as she came into view. She picked up her skirts and noticed a bit of frost forming on the fabric. She tried to gently push her way through the crowd, muttering apologies as she went.

"Your majesty, are you all right…?" a woman, holding an infant, asked her, gently. She shook her head a little, backing away from the outstretched hand. She bumped into the fountain and automatically tried to steady herself with one hand.

The crowd gasped, a couple of people screamed, and a baby started crying. She glanced back to see that she'd frozen the fountain.

"No…," She whispered.

"Elsa, wait!" she heard her voice call. She shook her head, yanked the other glove off, and ran to a side exit. The crowd cleared a path for her as she fled. "Elsa!" her sister was catching up with her.

She stepped back, coming to the edge of the water. She continued backing up and the solid ground continued. She looked down to see that she was standing on ice. Worrying her lip, she lifted her skirts and ran across the fjord, the water freezing as her feet touched the surface. She made it to solid ground and unclipped her cloak, letting it fall as she continued running.


	3. Chapter 3

Elsa stumbled a little as she got to the edge of the frozen fjord, just in time to see her sister fleeing into the forest and her cape fall to the ground. Hans caught up with her and steadied her before she fell. Her chest hurt, like she'd been stabbed with the ice. She knew a bit of the blast had struck her, but she was hoping it hadn't done any damage.

"The fjord…," he gasped, and she noticed that the ice was spreading from the path Anna had created in her wake. It started snowing and Elsa shivered a little. Hans pulled his jacket off and draped it over her shoulders. She smiled a little and turned to go back to the courtyard.

"Snow…?" she heard several people gasp as she walked into the courtyard. She heard the Duke jabbering about curses and going after her sister and she stepped over, handing Hans back his jacket.

"Enough," she snapped when she was close enough. "Elsa didn't do this on purpose. She was just scared and upset."

"You!" the Duke gasped, hiding behind one of his guys. "Do you have sorcery too?!"

"No. I'm perfectly normal."

"That's right, she is," Hans stated, touching her shoulder.

"This was all an accident," Elsa sighed. "Now. Everyone please go back to your homes and stay warm. Kai, please have the guards help the woodcutters gather as much firewood as possible. We'll need plenty of hot cocoa and stew made to last until this is all sorted out."

Kai nodded and hurried off to do as instructed, while Gerda moved to direct the kitchen situation. "We need all of the rooms in the castle prepared for the dignitaries to stay. Princess Rapunzel and Prince Eugene can stay in the king and queen's suite for the moment." She finished giving instructions to the servants gathered before turning to her people.

"Don't worry, I'll find Queen Elsa and we'll get this sorted out. Until I return, I'm leaving my cousin, Princess Rapunzel, in charge," she reassured the people and they finally left the courtyard.

"You can't go alone," Hans whispered to her. She smiled a little.

"I'll be fine. I have a plan. Please, help my cousins take care of things while I'm gone."

He nodded and she headed for her sister's room. "I need warm clothes as soon as you can get them to me." She instructed one of Anna's lady's maids. The girl nodded and hurried off to get the clothes out of storage.

When she got to her sister's room, she started digging for the potion vile. She found it in the bedside table drawer with a note.

_An act of true love will reverse the effects of any potion or spell_, was all that was written on the page. She groaned a little and shoved the vile and note back into the drawer. Why did it always have to be true love?

She sat on the bed and put her head in her hands. All of this was her fault. She had to do something.

"Princess Anna…?" the lady's maid called, knocking on the door.

"Come in," she answered, standing.

_Meanwhile…_

Anna stopped walking, hopelessly lost. She sat on the edge of a canyon and stared at the mountain around her. She yanked her hair out of its bun and straightened it out, brushing her bangs back.

She waved her hands, a snowman forming with the motion. She smiled a little, recognizing Olaf, the snowman she and her sister made before the gates were closed.

"Well…I guess I can't go back…or fix what I did to Elsa…" She stood and put her hands out, a bit of a staircase forming. She stepped onto it and it turned to ice. She extended the stairs to the other side of the canyon and ran up them. "I wonder…"

She stomped her foot into the snow, and a circle of ice formed under her feet. She lifted her hands, imagining a castle. The ice and snow did as she visualized, creating a castle around her. When it was finished, she waved her hands over her own body, her dress changing to ice. A grin formed on Anna's face and she went to the balcony to look out over the mountains. She couldn't see Arendelle past the range, but she knew her sister would take care of things.

The sun was rising. Had it really been the whole night that she'd been gone? The sun hadn't gone down before she ran off in a panic. She sighed. It didn't matter.

Her stomach growled and she left the new palace, figuring she might be able to figure out some way to survive out there.

_Later…_

Elsa paced the library, hunting for the book she needed. It had already been a night since her sister's flight, and the sun was just coming up. Her best bet was to go to the Trolls. They could tell her where her sister was and they could at least end the winter. She finally found the book and opened it, pulling the piece of paper with the map on it out.

"There you are…," she whispered, tucking it into a pocket in her winter cloak. She hurried down to the stables and got on her horse.

"Princess Anna, are you certain about this?" Kai asked her before she left the stables. She nodded a little.

"I'm the one that got her so upset, so I should be the one to fix this," she answered before nudging her horse forward. "Leave the gates open until we get back."

He nodded and she spurred her horse on, pulling out the map to check what direction she needed to go. It wasn't long before she was out of the town and heading up a mountain trail. She passed under a branch and shouted in surprise as a pile of snow fell onto her horse's rump, startling him enough to buck and toss her into the snow.

"No wait!" she shouted, trying to catch the reigns and calm the beast. She groaned when it ran off back towards the kingdom. "Great…now I have to go on foot…" She pulled herself out of the snow and started on her way again.

"Hey! What are you doing?" a male voice snapped behind her. She stopped and turned to see an ice harvester pull his reindeer to a stop behind her.

"I'm looking for the queen," she answered simply.

"And do you even know where you're going?" he asked incredulously, pulling his mask down.

"As a matter of fact, I have a plan," she snapped, pulling the map out. The wind picked up suddenly and blew the parchment out of her hand. "Oh no!" She turned and tried to catch it, but it flew out of her reach.

"What was that…?"

"A map to help find my sister. And now it's lost…," she sighed dejectedly.

"You know, the storm's coming from the North Mountain…"

"Did the center of it seem…magical?" she asked slowly.

"Yeah," he answered, urging his reindeer forward.

"Wait a second! I know how to stop the winter. And where the center of the storm is…is my sister. Take me with you and I'll compensate you for your time. Any expenses or supplies…"

"I don't take people places."

"Even if you're being paid?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow incredulously. He paused, but extended a hand. She took it and a static shock went straight through her gloves and up her arm. She barely let it affect her as he helped her into the sled.

_Meanwhile…_

Anna finished her attempt to cook a squirrel she'd managed to catch and slowly ate it. She grimaced. It was slightly burnt. She finished eating and went to one of the other rooms of the palace, waving a hand to create a bed of snow for her to sleep on.

She jumped into the bed, spraying snow everywhere as she got comfortable. She stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. What would she do if someone came after her? What if something had happened to Elsa?

She fell asleep, still worrying.

_Later…_

Elsa remained silent as she waited for Kristoff outside the tradepost, having handed him her change purse to purchase the supplies needed for the trip.

"Anna…please be okay…," she whispered.

"Anna? I thought your name was Anna, Princess," Kristoff's voice cut through her thoughts and she jolted.

"Uh…yeah…my name is Anna," she stammered a little, shifting to adjust her sword hidden under her cloak.

"Then why were you—never mind. What's that under your cloak?" he asked as he handed her back her purse. She paused, but unsheathed the sword.

"Just in case."

"Whoa, can you actually use that?" he joked.

"Do you want to find out?" she snapped, pointing the blade at his throat.

"Nope…no…I'm good."

She nodded and sheathed it as he unloaded the ice from the back of the sled and put his purchases in. He got in and urged Sven forward as the sun started to set. She worried her lip as they started off again.

"So…what made the queen go all ice crazy?" Kristoff asked after a bit.

"It's a long and complicated story…," she sighed, fiddling with the pommel of her sword.

"Try me."

"All right…I'm not really Princess Anna. I'm Elsa. My little sister's a bit…impulsive. She bought a potion from some gypsies and slipped it into my drink the other night. We woke up yesterday in each other's bodies…," she explained. "Everything was going as well as it could be…so long as we weren't talking to each other."

"Okay…? Why?"

"Because we were locked away in the castle growing up because of my powers. Anna found out about them when she woke up in my body. And every time I had a chance to explain to her or make things right between us…I mucked it up," she sighed.

"So she froze the kingdom?"

"Well…she got upset and one thing led to another and she got scared and ran away…I was going to go to the Trolls to get their help finding her so we could go back and thaw everything…"

A sound like growling came from behind them. "Wait…what was that?"

"Stop, Sven…," Kristoff whispered, grabbing the lantern from the front of the sled. He turned, lighting the path behind them. "Sven, run!" He put the lantern back and grabbed a stick from the back of the sled as Sven started running.

"What's back there?"

"Wolves," he answered, lighting the stick with the lantern. Elsa blinked and drew her sword.

"Okay. Tie me off," she reached for the rope.

"Kind of busy!" He hit a wolf back with his torch. She tied the rope to the seat and hit a wolf back with her sword. She twisted the rope around her hand and jumped off the sled, running beside them, swinging her sword. "What are you doing?!"

She shook her head and used a passing tree to vault herself to the other side of the sled, cutting down the wolves. The remainder of the pack fell back and she sheathed her sword. Kristoff helped her back onto the sled, gaping.

"What?"

"Wow. I didn't know princesses could fight like that…"

"You should have seen my mother…," her voice lowered. She saw the ground drop off ahead. "We have a problem…"

"Get ready to jump, Sven!" Kristoff shouted, grabbing the supplies. Elsa untied the rope and jumped onto Sven's back. Kristoff tossed the supplies to her and she braced herself against the reindeer's back. "JUMP!"

Kristoff cut the reigns and Sven jumped the canyon. Elsa looked back to see Kristoff barely make the gap. The sled fell into the canyon as she jumped off of Sven's back and tossed the supplies down. She pulled the pickaxe out of the sack and tied the rope to it.

Her next move was to stab her sword into the snow as deep as she could get it before tying off the rope on the pommel. She tossed the axe to Kristoff.

"Grab on!" she shouted, bracing herself. She saw him grab hold and started pulling him up. "Sven, help me!" she tossed some of the rope back.

Finally, Kristoff made it to solid ground. "I'll replace your sled, and everything in it…"

"Thanks…," he groaned, sitting up. "That was…pretty cool."

"Thanks," she smiled and yanked her sword out of the snow, untying the rope. She sheathed her sword. "Looks like we have to go the rest of the way on foot…"

"Yeah."

Kristoff rolled up the rope and picked up the supplies. They continued on their way.


End file.
